


We're Legends, Baby

by XxmerthurcatxX



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, Harringrove for Raices, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining, Prank War, billy is bad at feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 19:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20569667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxmerthurcatxX/pseuds/XxmerthurcatxX
Summary: Billy and Steve have an ongoing prank war. What happens when Billy takes it a little too far?





	We're Legends, Baby

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Ihni!!!

The prank war between Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington was the stuff of legends. Ever since Billy turned up at Hawkins High sophomore year, the boys had been at each other’s throats. As King of his previous school, Billy seemed hell bent on knocking the crown off Steve’s head so he could place it on his own. But Steve didn’t give up easily. Until he started dating Nancy Wheeler junior year. Then it was all, study dates and mini golfing on Saturdays. 

In hindsight, that’s probably what got the pranks started in the first place. Billy had lost Steve’s attention and he was determined to get it back. By whatever means necessary. 

Billy started small. He waited until Steve was out of the locker room before he jimmied the other boy’s locker open and stole his towel. And yeah, maybe Billy played a little worse than usual that day because he couldn’t stop thinking about watching his prank unfold, but it was worth it to watch Harrington frantically dig through his locker only to realize his towel was missing. 

“Lose something, Harrington?” Billy asked. 

Steve glanced over his shoulder at Billy, a frown on his face. 

“Did you take my towel?” 

Billy shrugged as he wrapped his own towel around his waist and pulled his clothes out of his locker. He could feel Harrington’s glare boring into his back and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t get him a little hot under the collar. Well, it would if he were wearing a shirt anyway. 

“What are you, twelve?” Steve grumbled as he miserably tugged on his clothes. Billy almost felt bad. Trying to put jeans on, the ones as tight as both he and Harrington wore, was hard enough with dry skin. But then Steve knocked into his shoulder as he past him and muttered “it’s on,” before he left the locker room. Billy counted it as a victory. 

Until he got to class the next day and his chair fell apart the second he sat in it. The whole class laughed and Billy shot a look at Harrington. The asshole had the audacity to look innocent, even as he twirled a screwdriver between his fingers. 

Oh yeah. It was on. 

XXXX

It didn’t take long for the rest of Hawkins High to get clued in to the prank war. After a couple weeks, people started looking forward to them, eager to see what the boys had planned for each other next. 

Nancy thought it was stupid. 

Billy overheard her talking to Steve about it at lunch. 

“He’s just doing it for attention,” she said with an eye roll. “I don’t know why you respond.” 

Steve passed her his pudding cup, like he always did, and shrugged. 

“It’s fun,” he said simply. 

Billy’s heart did an annoying flutter at that. Fun. Steve thought it was fun. Thought  _ Billy _ was fun. He tried not to read too much into it, but he couldn’t fight it as his lips twitched into a smile. Harrington was probably gonna graduate and propose to Wheeler and get married and live in a cul de sac because small town life in Indiana was like that. But in the meantime, Billy was gonna soak up as much of his attention as he could. 

Then came the night of the Halloween party. A night that, like the prank war, would go down in infamy. 

No one really knew the specifics of what happened in that bathroom with Nancy and Steve. Nancy spilled some punch, Steve followed to try to help her clean up, and ten minutes later he was practically running out of the party. Billy had seen him on his way out. Had caught his arm because Harrington looked like he was about to start bawling and he was compelled to know why. 

“You good?” Billy asked. He knew it was a stupid question. 

Steve had shaken his head and yanked his arm out of Billy’s grip before he hightailed it out to his car. 

If Billy hopped in his car and followed behind Steve at a safe distance, to make sure that he got home okay, then that was his business. Because what it all boiled down to, the prank war, the trash talk and crowding on the basketball court, the clocking Harrington’s every move, was this; Billy liked him. A lot. Way more than he should. 

By Monday the news was all over the school. The princess, Nancy Wheeler, had dumped the King of Hawkins High himself. 

Within two weeks she was dating Jonathan Byers. 

Billy figured that was gonna be the end of the prank war. He wasn’t so much of an asshole that he would kick Harrington while he was down. Well...he was, but Max had threatened him under penalty of death to leave her favorite babysitter alone. Apparently, tales of their rivalry had reached the middle school. 

Needless to say, Billy was more than a little surprised when he opened his locker only to be bombarded by about a tidal wave of condoms. Still in the wrapper, thank god. 

“Might wanna change your combination, Hargrove,” Steve said casually as he opened his own locker, which was conveniently located right next to Billy’s. 

Billy bit his lip to hide his smile. 

Apparently, it was still on. 

XXXX

The problem with having a prank war that had been going on for nearly a year now, was that it got harder and harder to come up with new tricks to play on each other. 

Steve had played the last one and it was fucking  _ bold _ . He’d broken into Billy’s car. His vintage blue Camaro. His prized possession.

Since it was a vintage car, it still had a tape player, which was one of Billy’s favorite things about it. Harrington had taken all his tapes out of their cases, and replaced them with different ones. Billy was confused when he popped in Metallica and ABBA blasted through his speakers. He was annoyed when he tried to play Scorpions and Heart played instead. And he was livid when he threw in Guns N Roses and fucking Madonna started singing Like a Virgin. 

Billy had already been having a shitty day. His dad was in a mood and Billy had gotten a slap across the face for spilling a cup of coffee all over the freshly cleaned counter. Then he saw Steve flirting with Robin Buckley in the hallway and fuck if that didn’t make his heart hurt. Billy wasn’t an idiot. He knew Steve didn’t like him. Not like that anyway. But it still sucked to see him with someone else. With  _ anyone _ else really. So Harrington’s little prank had come at a bad time, which is probably what made Billy take it a little too far. 

Billy got the idea when he was channel surfing. There was nothing on and he was about to give up when he hit a channel that was playing the original Carrie. It was right at the prom scene. When she gets the bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her head. The gears in Billy’s mind started turning and he grinned. This was gonna be so good. 

...except that it wasn’t. 

XXXX

The prank took about a week to plan. He wasn’t gonna go full Carrie because pig’s blood was fucking gross. It’s not like he hated Harrington the way that chick who dumped the blood hated Carrie. 

Since prom was still a couple weeks off, Billy had to improvise a little. It was Promposal season, so no one thought anything of it when Billy, armed with a bouquet of flowers, sauntered right up to Harrington in the hallway between classes. 

Steve frowned in confusion when Billy held out the flowers for him to take. Confusion melted into surprise when Billy pulled out a sign from behind his back with “PROM?” written in big letters across it. 

“What do ya say, Harrington?” Billy asked, dropping down on one knee to really sell the bit. 

He waited to get turned down flat, like he knew he was going to. Then Tommy would--

“Yes.” 

It was so quiet, Billy wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. But Harrington’s cheeks were bright pink and there was a small smile on his face as his fingers tightened around the flowers. 

“W-what? You said---you said yes,” Billy said dumbly. 

Steve nodded. 

“I mean, I was gonna ask you, but you beat me to it,” he said. 

Billy gaped at him. What. The. Fuck? Steve was gonna ask him to prom? Steve wanted to go with him? He sounded so casual when he said it. Like he thought it was obvious. Like he thought Billy knew. But Billy didn’t. He really fucking didn’t. 

The display had attracted a group of onlookers at this point and it occurred to Billy that none of them looked surprised at all. Like they knew the prank war was really an excuse for Billy to have literally any interaction with Steve. 

Billy opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn’t sure what, but was interrupted when Tommy and Michael came running down the hall. Oh shit, the prank. 

“INCOMING!” they shouted as they came to a screeching halt just behind Steve and upended the vat of chocolate sauce they were holding right over Steve’s head. 

The hallway was silent except for Tommy and Michael’s laughter. They had missed the whole, Steve saying yes part. 

It was supposed to be funny.

It wasn’t. 

People were supposed to be laughing. 

They weren’t. 

The flowers fell from Steve’s fingers as he swiped a hand down his face, clearing the chocolate from his eyes. Eyes that were now trained on Billy, full of hurt and already brimming with tears. Steve shoved past Billy and ran straight out the front doors of the school. 

Billy was rooted to the floor, his eyes fixed on the spot where Steve had been standing. It took him a solid minute before he could move and then he was tearing after the boy whose heart he had unintentionally broken. God, how could he be so fucking stupid? 

He could see Steve fumbling with his keys as he tried to unlock his car. 

“Harrington, wait!” Billy shouted, already running. 

Steve didn’t even look up. His movements were even more frantic, like he was eager to get the hell away from Billy, which he probably was. Not that Billy blamed him. 

Luckily, Billy was fast. He caught a hold of Steve’s arm, halting his movements. 

“Look, I didn’t--

Steve shook his head. 

“It’s fine. I-it was a good prank. But now I need to shower and change s-so if you could just...” Steve trailed off as his voice cracked and Billy wanted to punch himself in the face for being the one who made Steve look like that. 

“No. It wasn’t a good prank. It was stupid.  _ I’m  _ stupid,” Billy said seriously. “But, Harrington--uh--Steve, you gotta know, I-I didn’t know. I had no idea that you...that you...I thought it was just me,” Billy finished lamely. 

Steve sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. It should have been gross. It wasn’t. 

“You don’t have to do this. I know it was a prank. I was being an idiot, like always so--

“You’re not an idiot,” Billy said quickly, cutting Steve off. “I’m an idiot. I--Wheeler was right!” he blurted. 

Steve frowned. 

“Huh?” 

Billy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I heard you guys talking at lunch ages ago. She said I was, um, doing the prank thing to get attention. To get  _ your _ attention and she was right. I wanted...I wanted you to look at me,” Billy admitted. He was beyond embarrassed, but considering he’d just monumentally screwed up, he figured he deserved it. “But I didn’t know. I didn’t know that you wanted, um, well--

“You?” Steve finished for him. 

Billy nodded. He was feeling a little choked up himself at this point, so he didn’t trust his voice. 

“You followed me home,” Steve said. 

It was Billy’s turn to be confused. 

“What?” he asked. 

Something close to a smile drew across Steve’s features. 

“After the party. The night Nancy dumped me. You followed me home in your car. I saw you. You waited at the end of my driveway until I was back in my house and I knew. I-I needed to get over Nancy and take some time to sort it all out, but I knew I was yours way back then. And I...I kind of hoped you were mine too,” Steve finished. He was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, like he was afraid for Billy’s reaction. 

Billy could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he nodded his head slowly and hooked his fingers through Steve’s belt loops. He didn’t pull him closer, just used the hold to keep himself grounded. 

“I am. Yours, I mean,” Billy said quietly. “You’ve owned my ass since I fucking moved here.” 

Steve smiled. A real smile now, nothing small or nervous about it. He started to lean forward and Billy’s heart was beating so hard he thought it might actually burst out of his chest. Steve stopped just short of kissing him and pulled back a little. 

“W-what’s wrong?” Billy asked. 

“Nothing. I just, uh, remembered that I’m covered in chocolate and I don’t want to get it all over you so--

Billy caught Steve’s lips in a soft kiss. He couldn’t care less that it was messy. Steve’s mouth was sweet from the chocolate and Billy loved it, moaning softly when Steve licked into his mouth. He didn't even mind that Steve's chocolatey fingers found their way into his curls. He was making out with the King of Hawkins High, nothing could ruin that. 

They smiled at each other stupidly when they pulled away and Billy rested his forehead against Steve’s, running his fingers through the other boy’s chocolatey hair. 

“So...prom?” he asked. 

Steve laughed, peppering sticky kisses all across Billy’s cheeks. 

“Yes!”


End file.
